Method of mounting a pneumatic tire on a deformable rim

ABSTRACT

A method of mounting a tire on a wheel rim having an inwardly depressed bead seat and a detachable flange comprising arranging the tire on the rim and then expanding the bead seat to hold the tire and the detachable flange permanently in position.

United States Patent Mitchell 1 Feb.8, 1972 [54] METHOD OF MOUNTING APNEUMATIC TIRE ON A DEFORMABLE RIM [72] Inventor: William Eric Mitchell,Coventry, England [73] Assignee: The Dunlop Company Limited, Erdington,

Birmingham, England [22 Filed: Mar. 12,1969

2n Appl.No.: 806,658

|30| Foreign Application Priority Data Mar. 21, 1968 Great Britain..13,682/68 [52] US. Cl ..29/159.0l, 29/512, 152/405 [51] Int. Cl...B2lhl/02,B21k1/32 [58] Field ofSearch ..29/159.01, 512; 152/330, 405

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,961,095 5/ 1934 Baker etal ..152/405 2,261,465 11/1941 Grangeetal. ..29/159.01 2,409,901 10/1946Russell ..152/405 FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 1,149,739 12/1957France ..152/330 Primary Examiner-Charlie T. Moon Attorney]efiers andYoung [57] ABSTRACT A method of mounting a tire on a wheel rim having aninwardly depressed bead seat and a detachable flange comprisingarranging the tire on the rim and then expanding the bead seat to holdthe tire and the detachable flange permanently in position.

5 Claims, 2 Drawing Figures This invention relates to vehicle wheels andis an improvement in or modification of the invention described in thespecification of our copending British Patent application No. 34,476/65.

According to one embodiment of the invention described in thespecification of application No. 34,476/65 one flange and theadjacent'portion of a flat-base wheel rim is depressed radially inwardlyto permit the beads of a pneumatic tire to pass over the depressedflange.'A pneumatic tire is mounted on the rim, and the depressed flangeand the adjacent region of the rim are then expanded to the requireddiameter to provide a bead seat to engage the associated bead of thetire.

One disadvantage of this method is that the rim flange is an integralpart of the rim and since the flange extends in a generally radialdirection it may be distorted by the expansion process.

According to one aspect of the invention, a method for mounting apneumatic tire on a metal rim having a base portion and first and secondside portions, the first side portion being arranged to be associatedwith a separate flange component, the said first side portion having aradially outwardly extending lip formed thereon and being depressedradially inwardly to permit the beads of a pneumatic tire to pass overthe lip, the said method comprises arranging a pneumatic tire on the rimtogether with the separate flange component and subsequently deformingthe said first side portion of the rim to be engageable with anassociated bead of the tire to lock the separate flange component inposition between the lip and the tire.

According to another aspect of the invention a partly formed rim, forincorporation in a pneumatic tire and rim assembly, comprises a rim baseportion having a radially outwardly extending lip of small radial heightformed on each side portion, one side portion being depressed radiallyinwardly to permit the beads of a pneumatic tire to pass over the lipand being expansible to engage a bead of a tire mounted on the rim andto lock a separate flange component in position between each lip and thetire.

According to a further aspect of the invention a pneumatic tire andwheel assembly comprises a pneumatic tire mounted on a rim and securedthereon by two flange components each permanently locked in positionrespectively between one bead of the tire and a radially outwardlyprojecting lip of small radial height formed on the associated side ofthe rim.

One or both rim flanges may be separate from the rim body.

The separate flanges may in a preferred construction be bonded to thebeads of an associated tire, but in an alternative construction theflanges may be fitted to the assembly separately from the tire.

Two embodiments of the invention will now be described by way of examplewith reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

FlG. l is a diagrammatic axial cross-sectional view of a portion of awheel for a tire and wheel assembly according to the invention, and

FIG. 2 is a diagrammatic axial cross-sectional view of a portion of analternative tire and wheel assembly according to the invention.

In one embodiment of the invention as shown in P16. 1 a partly formedrim 1 formed without an inwardly depressed well comprises a base portion2 and two side portions 3,4. One side portion 3 is turned radiallyoutwardly to provide a beadretaining flange formed integrally therewithand the other side portion 4 is turned radially outwardly to provide alip 6.

The side portion 4 is depressed radially inwardly to permit the beads ofa pneumatic tire 7 to pass over the lip 6, and a separate flangecomponent 8 is provided for association with the side portion 4.

A method of mounting a pneumatic tire on the rim will now be described.

A pneumatic me 7 and the separate flange component 8 are arranged on thepartly formed rim with one tire bead 9 in contact with the flange 5 andthe other tire bead l0 and the flange component 8 held in the positionas shown in dotted lines. The depressed portion 4 of the rim is thenexpanded radially outwardly and the tire bead l0 and the flangecomponent 8 released so that the separate flange 8 is moved into aposition in which it is locked between the lip 6 and the tire bead 10.

In a second embodiment as shown in FIG. 2 both side portions 3,4 areformed with radially outwardly extending lips 6,11 and two separateflange components 5,8 are provided for association respectively with thetwo side portions 3,4 of the rim. The flange components 5,8 are bondedrespectively to the tire beads 9,10 before arranging the tire on therim. Expansion of the depressed portion 4 then enables each flangecomponent to be held tightly in position between the associated lip andtire bead.

A vehicle wheel having a rim as described above, provides a permanentmounting for a pneumatic tire which eliminates the need for an inwardlydepressed well-base portion in the rim and thus provides greater spacewithin the rim for mounting an associated brake.

The fact that only the depressed lip and adjacent portion is expandedmeans that there can be no distortion of the associated flange due tothe expansion process. An additional advantage is that the lip is ofsmall radial height and consequently the peripheral portion need bedepressed, to allow mounting of a tire, to a smaller extent than in atire according to the invention described in the specification ofapplication No. 34,476/65 in which the flange is an integral part of therim.

I claim:

1. A method for mounting a circumferentially inextensible pneumatic tireon a deformable rim having a substantially cylindrical base portion andlaterally spaced radially outwardly extending first and second sideportions, said first side portion having operatively associatedtherewith a radially outwardly bent lip which is initially disposedradially inwardly of said base portion, the steps comprising: passingthe beads of the pneumatic tire over the lip in its initial radiallyinward position relative to said base portion to dispose the tire withinthe radial confines defined by the laterally spacedapart side portions.and subsequently expanding radially outwardly said bent lip of saidfirst side portion of the rim to a position wherein said first sideportion is operatively engageable by an associated bead of said tire toetfect a locking of the tire bead on the rim.

2. A method according to claim 1 including bonding a separate flangecomponent to each side of said tire prior to mounting of said tire onsaid rim.

3. The method according to claim 2 including the step of: locking saidflange components associated with the sides of the pneumatic tire inposition between the associated lips at the first and second sideportions of said metal rim and said tire as said first side portion ofthe rim is expanded radially outwardly.

4. The method according to claim 1 including the step of: bonding atleast one flange component directly to the tire prior to mounting saidtire on said rim.

5. The method according to claim 1 wherein a flange component isdisposed between the tire side and the associated wheel lip.

1. A method for mounting a circumferentially inextensible pneumatic tireon a deformable rim having a substantially cylindrical base portion andlaterally spaced radially outwardly extending first and second sideportions, said first side portion having operatively associatedtherewith a radially outwardly bent lip which is initially disposedradially inwardly of said base portion, the steps comprising: passingthe beads of the pneumatic tire over the lip in its initial radiallyinward position relative to said base portion to dispose the tire withinthe radial confines defined by the laterally spaced-apart side portions,and subsequently expanding radially outwardly said bent lip of saidfirst side portion of the rim to a position wherein said first sideportion is operatively engageable by an associated bead of said tire toeffect a locking of the tire bead on the rim.
 2. A method according toclaim 1 including bonding a separate flange component to each side ofsaid tire prior to mounting of said tire on said rim.
 3. The methodaccording to claim 2 including the step of: locking said flangecomponents associated with the sides of the pneumatic tire in positionbetween the associated lips at the first and second side portions ofsaid metal rim and said tire as said first side portion of the rim isexpanded radially outwardly.
 4. The method according to claim 1including the step of: bonding at least one flange component directly tothe tire prior to mounting said tire on said rim.
 5. The methodaccording to claim 1 wherein a flange comPonent is disposed between thetire side and the associated wheel lip.